Lamp-bracket



No. 608,89. Patented July 26, I898.

J. B. TIMBERLAKE.

LAMP BRACKET.

(Application filed Mar. 27, 1897.) (No Model.) V 2 Sheets-Sheet I,

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7N0. 608,l39. Patented July '26, 189:8.

J. B.v TIMBERLAKE.

LAMP BRACKET.

(Application filed Max. 27, 1897.)

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JOHN B. TIMBERLAKE, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

LAMP-BRACKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 608,139, dated July 26, 1898. Application filed March 27, 1897. Serial No. 629,596. (No model.) Patented in Canada January 23, 1897, No. 54,748.

T0 (6 whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. TIMBERLAKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at J ackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and use-' ful Improvements in Lamp-Brackets, (patented in Canada January 23, 1897, No. 54,748,) of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lampbracket containing my invention. Fig. 2 is a rear View showing in addition a lamp-fount in position in the bracket and a reflector thereon. Fig. 3 is aside elevation of a modification. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 show modifications of the upper end of the bracket. Figs. 7, 8, and 9 show other modifications. it

One part of my invention relates to the construction of a lamp-bracket made, preferably, of a single piece of wire bent into such shape that the resiliency of practically its entire length shall contribute to the end or op eration which is aimed at-to wit, the grip-' ping of the fount so firmly that it will not be liable to accidental displacement from its normal position within the ring-like clasp when being handled, even though turned upside down and unsupported except by the hand of a person who is carrying it by means of the' upright carrier-section grasped in his hand.

Another object aimed at is such a construction or form that the bracket can be made by the use of comparatively simple machinery from a short piece ofwire, necessitating but few bends of the wire, and shall have a seat adapted to receive a wall projection, shall have one or more parts adapted to slide down behind Wall projections, one or more in order to prevent the lamp from swaying either sidewise or outward from the wall or other support upon which it is hung.

Having thus set forth the general object and scope of my invention, I will proceed to describe one mode in which I propose to carry it into efiect.

Like reference letters designate similar parts in all the figures.

In making the bracket I usually prefer to form the ring-like clasp or part A by bending the central portion of a suitable piece of wire in the desired shape, which in practice will be nearly circular in outline, but not strictly so with the method of manipulation generally employed for doing such work; nor do I prefer that it should be quite circular for reasons whichl will hereinafter give. This ring-like clasp may be-made in either of two forms, according to circumstances, without materially affecting its mode of operation as regards its gripping the lamp-fount firmly. HenceI will describe both forms, it being optional which shall be selected in any given case.

A A are arms projecting rearward from the ring-like clasp A at about the bends a a, they being disposed, preferably, in a horizontal plane, the wire being bent thence downward from a a and around outward and up ward to form U-shaped lateral extensions B B, which are disposed in a vertical plane, the wire continuing thence inward and upwardas, for instance, at b b-and again upward, forming legs C O at such distance apart as will adapt them to be conveniently grasped by the hand and serve as a carrier for handling the lamp, when desired. I prefer to designate these legs as spaced grippinglegs, whereby they are distinguished from parts in prior brackets which resemble them in some respects, but differ radically from them as regards the two functions of serving to assist in holding the fount with a firm grip within the clasp-ring ,and at the same time, by reason of their being properly spaced, to be conveniently grasped by the hand for carrying the lamp, in both respects differing from earlier constructions of which I have knowledge. The upper ends of the'legs i11- cline inward, as indicated at c o, and are united toward their upper ends to form a downwardly-opening slot or throat which I prefer to make of an inverted-V shape, as indicated at D, to facilitate hanging the bracket and lamp upon some sort of a wall projection. The wire is bent thence forward a short distance, as at d, and again upward to form a support E for a reflector, the sizes of the different parts thus indicated being such that the reflector shall be mounted at the proper height relative to the flame of thelam p, as will readily be understood without further explanation. g

In order to properly secure the'ends of the wire to each other, I propose to weld them to gether from about the upper end of the wallprojection seat at D, along the offset (2 to their extremities, as is indicated in the drawings, thus making the entire bracket of one integral piece of metal, doing away with the necessity of any contrivance for holding .the cut ends of the wire to each other, and providing a much more permanent and durable union of the ends than could be attained in any other way of which I have knowledge. Moreover, the additional strength of union which is obtained by welding the ends of the wire together is especially useful in a lampbracket, because it enables me to make the article from a comparatively short piece of wire and yet secure the requisite strength and elasticity to retain the fount in position without liability of accidental displacement, even though the bracket and lamp be turned upside down while being held in the hand of the person carrying them; but I do not Wish to be limited to welding the ends of the wire, because some of the advantages of my invention may be attained though said ends be secured to each other in somewhat different ways-for instance, as follows:

In Fig. 4 the upper ends of the two legs 0 C are twisted together, one wire a stopping at the end of the twist by preference and the other wire E projecting upward to constitute the support for the reflector, and I think a single wire will be better than two at this point, as not being liable to spread, as the ends of two short wires might do.

In Fig. 5 one wire d is straight, the other wire d being bent around it one or two convolutions and further secured by soldering, if desired.

In Fig. 6, H is a sleeve or collar fitting closely around the legs. This sleeve is to be put over the ends of the wire while they are straight-that is to say, before they are bent upward to form the reflector-support E and can therefore be made so heavy as to support them firmly.

In my invention the, resilience of a long piece of wire is made available to permit the enlargement of the ring-like clasp when inserting a lamp-fount--that is to say, a length equal to that of the ring-like part which surrounds the fount, the arms A A, the legs, and to some extent the U-shaped lateral extensions B B, in addition to which the grip of the clasp upon a fount is still further increased by reason of the fact that it is practically impossible to make the ring absolutely circular in outline, the same being true of the founts in horizontal section, and the elasticity of the ring is sufficient to permit the fount to be crowded down to its normal position, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, thereby slightly changing the normal outline of the ring, its tendency to return thereto insuring. a firm grip upon the fount; but in case it be:

desired to render the ring-like clasp capable of greater expansion in diameter such result may be attained by embodying therein an old and well-known construction shown in Patent No. 317,917 to J. B. Bartlett, as follows:

I have indicated in Figs. 3 and 7 that the front part of the ring may, instead of being continued around in a circular line, be bent downward as atmm, and thence inward into a sort of U shape at'm m immediately below the bottom of the fount, which confirmation will of course permit a decided increase in the diameter of the ring without in any manner impairing the resiliency of the Wire, and thereby accommodatefounts of such different diameters within reasonable limits as may be found on the market made by different manufacturers. Such modification in the shape of the ring-like clasp at m m m does not conflict with the description of that clasp as being closed in front, because the wire is continuous from one arm A around to the other arm, as contradistinguished from some forms of clasp in which there are cut ends at the front partof the ring, thus necessitating a quite different construction of the other parts of the bracket, which is not the case with this invention, each of the forms of which may be made of a single continuous piece of wire, although I have shown some of them made of separate pieces of wire sleeved together, but without impairing their resiliency, and it will be readily understood by an examination of Fig. 3, where the U-shaped portion of the bend is shown in full lines, that disposing this extra length of wire beneath the fount is desirable, because, among other reasons, it does not project outside the other portions of the clasp, and therefore the length of wire of which it is composed may be such as will afford the desired elasticity, and because it will receive a standard, as is explained in that prior patent, No. 317,917, and permit my bracket to be used for supporting lamps of quite different constructions.

In Figs. 8 and 9 I have shown modifications in which while the general skeleton outline form of the bracket is retained the reflector-support and the seat for the wall projection is produced by doubling the wire back upon itself at the upper end of said support E and connecting the cut ends in the legs or in the wire of the rearward-projecting arms between the ring-like clasp A and the bends or angles a a by means of a sleeve or other kind of socket-coupling at one or more of the places indicated by 005050, and while in either of these modifications I prefer to make the entire bracket of a single piece of wire, yet I do not wish to be limited to such construction, it being apparent that it may be made of more than one piece and yet retain some of the advantages which are incident to my invention.

A number of advantages in both economy of construction and mode of operation are incident to my invention, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 8, and 9 and partially in Fig. 7, over any prior ones of which'I have knowledge. As, for instance, in Patent No. 129,509, in order to get a sufficient length of wire to insure the necessary grip upon the lamp-fount and yet permit the ring-like clasp to be spread enough to slip it over the rib on the upper part of the lamp-body of that patent, the legs must be so long that the reflector cannot be mounted upon the upper end of the doubled-over Wire; but by forming part of the wire into the U- shaped lateral extension or loops the legs may be quite short. The support E above the seat D is at the right height to receive the reflector and support it in approximately the horizontal plane of the flame of the lam pin all the constructions. Again by thus bending the wire into the U-shaped extensions I materially increase its effective resiliency in gripping the fount,it being well known to wire-workers that such result is obtained by bending wire into ring-like form. Another advantage is the increased width of that part of the bracket which lies against the wall or other support and which operates efficiently to prevent the lamp from being swung aroundfrom side to side, as tabout a vertical pivot intersecting the wall projection CZX, and in addition thereto the capability of passing the lower ends of the legs 0 Odown behind similar wall projections d d.

It is obvious that in all these constructions the strength of the grip of the ring-like clasp is materially increased by reason of the leverlike action of the arms AA as they are being pressed inward by the portions of the wire which are disposed between the bends a a and the inverted-V-shaped seat at D, it being obvious that the operation of these parts is the reverse of that of the parts of the wire traversed by the loops Z) Z) in Patent No. 27 0,703, for instance, where the parallel portions of the wire normally tend to spring apart and increase the diameter of the ring or loop which encircles the neck of the lamp which it fits loosely, but never performs the function of supporting any part of the weight of the lamp. Other advantages are incident to the employment of said arms when taken in connection with other features of construction of the bracket. For instance, by continuing the U -shaped extensions down below the horizontal plane of the adjacent part of the fount so that they rest upon thetable, the shelf, or some other flat surface they operate to give a more extended base to support the weight of the lamp, and thus guard against its being accidentally upset, a matter of some importance, especially when the bracket is used with one-of those well-known forms of fount in which its extreme lower faceis much more narrow than is the part which is grasped by the ring-like clasp, as will readily be understood without further explanation, and because of the wire being carried forward, as at cl, the reflector is supported in quite close proximity to the chimney, as it should be, and there is provided a suitable space for the knuckles on the person who is carrying the lamp by grasping the legs 0 0 without danger of contact with the heated reflector,

ency of which is available is much less in Fig. '7 than in the other figures, yet many of the advantages of my invention are incident to this construction, and the cheapness of the method of securing together the ends of the wire by twisting at or near their upper ends, as in Fig. 4, makes such feature a very desirable one.

By making the U-shaped extension 13 B project down below the bottom of the fount (see particularly Fig. 3) there will be a space between the fount-bottom and any support, such as a table, upon which the bracket may be placed with the fount in it, and, as shown, in dotted lines, Fig. 1, the clasp-like ring may be disposed in a lower plane relative to the upright part of the bracket, the arms being inclined upward, so as to support the fount alittle lower relative to the reflector to bring the flame at the right height when necessary.

In my concurrent applications, Serial No. 506,592,dated April 6, 1894, Serial No. 572,194, dated December 14, 1895, and Serial No. 628,548, dated March 20, 1897, I show and describe some of the inventions illustrated herein, but not claimed herein, and I do not desire to claim in this patent any of the inventions which constitute the subject-matter of the claims of either of my said earlierconcurrent applications.

What I claim is i 1. A lamp-bracket having in combination, a ring-like clasp adapted to grasp the fount, U-shaped lateral extensions, upright legs forming acarrier, a seat for a wall projection, and a support for a reflector formed of the upper ends of the legs, the said upper ends of the legs being welded together, whereby the above-referred-to parts are formed of an integral piece of metal, substantially as set forth.

2. A lamp-bracket having in combination, a ring-like clasp adapted to grasp the fount, an upright carrier comprising two grippinglegs which are spaced, and are thereby adapt ed to be grasped by the hand and to suspend the lamp, and a support for a reflector, all

formed of an integral and practically homogeneous piece of metal, substantially as set forth.

3. A lamp-bracket having in combination, 1

and the reflector-support being all formed of a continuous piece of wire, substantially as set forth.

4. A lamp-bracket having in combination, a ring-like clasp adapted to grip the fount, arms projecting rearward from the clasp, U shaped lateral extensions or loops projecting outward from the arms and thence upward and inward to form legs adapted to serve as a carrier, a seat for a wall projection, and a reflector-support which is disposed above the seat and is approximately in the horizontal plane of the flame of the lamp, substantially as set forth.

5. A lamp-bracket having in combination, a ring-like clasp adapted to grasp a fount, said clasp being closed in front, horizontal arms projecting rearward from the rear side of the clasp, U-shaped lateral extensions disposed in a vertical plane at the rear ends of said arms, upright legs connected at their lower ends to the U-shaped extensions and united at their upper ends to form an invertedV shaped seat for a wall projection, and a support for a reflector, substantially as set forth.

6. A lamp-bracket having in combination,

a ring-like clasp adapted to grasp the fount, said clasp being closed in front, horizontal arms projecting rearward from the rear side of the clasp, U-shaped lateral extensions disposed in a vertical plane at the rear ends of said arms and bent downward, outward, and thence upward from rear ends of the arms, legs projecting upward from the inner upper parts of said extensions and continuous therewith and disposed at a short distance apart and thereby adapted to be grasped by the hand for carrying the lamp, but joined at their u er ends to form an in verted-V-shaped seat for a wall projection, and to resist the spreading of the legs, the horizontal arms, and the adjacent part of the clasp-ring, whereby the resiliency of the wire serves to grip the fount, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN B. TIMBERLAKE.

Witnesses:

CARLTON J. BARNES, JAMEs F. PRUDEN. 

